Activated display device



Feb. 4, 1964 J. E. WINTHER 3,120,068

ACTIVATED DISPLAY DEVICE Filed April 24, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 M n q n a a 0/ 0/, Q FAB E 14 45 I 5 /2 v INVENTOR.

1W 4'4 44M), \TOHNE. MNTHEE BY 44 HM ATTORNEY Feb. 4, 1964 J. E. WINTHER 3,120,068

ACTIVATED DISPLAY DEVICE Filed April 24, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 12 VII an INVENTOR. W JbH/V E MNTHEE BY %7 M HTTOPHEY United States Patent 3,120,068 ACTIVATED DISPLAY DEVICE John E. Winther, 87 E. 8th St, Clifton, NJ. Filed Apr. 24, 1961, Ser. No. 105,161 3 Claims. (Cl. 40106.21)

This invention relates to display devices and, more particularly, to such for advertising beverages and the like.

An object of my invention is to provide a display device depicting, in a container or goblet, a bubbling or efi'ervescent beverage or the like, as an advertisement for a company selling and/or manufacturing such a beverage.

Another object of my invention is to provide an aerator or air pressure device, for use with indoor or outdoor advertising displays for drinks of various types, drinks mixed with other liquids such as liquors or with sparkling or carbonated water or soda, ginger ale and the like, and particularly for beer, or for use with tablets or pills which effervesce when dropped in liquids, to simulate the rising bubbles known to such liquids or medicinal compounds.

A further object of my invention is to provide a display device having a recirculation of air or other gas which is used for making bubbles in a liquid in a display device.

A still further object of my invention is to provide a display device comprising a closed container for liquid to prevent evaporation, overflowing, or contamination thereof, with means for giving the liquid a bubbly or efiervescent appearance.

These and other objects and advantages will become apparent from the following detailed description when taken with the accompanying drawings. It will be understood that the drawings are for purposes of illustration and do not define the scope or limits of the invention, reference being had for the latter purpose to the appended claims.

In the drawings, wherein like reference characters denote like parts in the several views:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary front elevational view of a display device embodying my invention.

FIGURE 2 is a side elevational view, as on the line 2-2 of FIGURE 1 in the direction of the arrows.

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view to a large scale, on the line 3-3 of FIGURE 2 in the direction of the arrows.

FIGURE 4 is a horizontal sectional view, on the line 44 of FIGURE 3 but to a smaller scale.

Referring to the drawings in detail, there is shown a display device, generally designated 11, having a hollow base 12 for housing the operating parts. On the upper member or top wall 13 of said base there is mounted a transparent container 14 which may be formed of glass, plastic or the like. In the present embodiment, the container simulates a beverage glass or goblet, which may be of conventional or enlarged size, having a bottom element 15 and a top or simulated beverage or other liquid-containing cup-shaped element 16 having an outer wall extending from the top of a supporting stem 17 upstanding from the element 15. The liquid-containing element 16 is made, in effect, double-walled by the provision of an inner annular or cup-shaped member having a transparent wall 18 of glass, plastic or the like, spaced from the inner surface of the wall of the container to an approximately uniform distance throughout, thereby providing an upwardly flaring passage between the outer wall of the container 16 and the inner wall 18. This wall 18 may be suitably colored and serve to impart a desired color, such as yellow, green, or other pleasing color, to the contained water or other liquid 20.

The upper edge of the wall 18 fits and is secured in an annular groove 19 in the lower surface of a porous or foam-like cover 21. Said cover 21 closely fits inside the upper portion of the liquid-containing element 16 to hold the inner wall 18 in properly-spaced relationship with respect to said element 16. The bottom or lower end of the inner Wall 18 has an opening 22, normally closed by a bubble-making member or block 23 which is formed as a plug of porous material. Said porous material may be a special form of carborundum, such as used as porous stones in aquariums, or other porous material such as bronze used in filters, sandstone, pumice or other suitable material. The bubble-making member 23 may be approximately hemispherical in shape with a flat upper surface, as illustrated most clearly in FIGURE 3. The upper surface is desirably sealed against the passage of fiuid, as by having a plate 24 secured thereover as by a suitable adhesive. The plate 24 may be made of glass or plastic material.

Air or other gas is delivered to the porus block 23, as through a length of tubing 25 of glass or other suitable material in the stem 17, to which is supplied said air by a pipe 26 as through a flexible tube 27. Air is driven to the pipe 26 by means of a suitable air pump 28 through a check valve 29, to prevent liquid in the container 14 from flowing back to the air pump. The valve 29 is here shown to include a flow-checking ball 30 biased toward a seat 46 by a spring 50.

To prepare the device 11 for operation, the container 16 is filled with a liquid such as water 20, which may be plain or colored as desired. The water not only fills the space between the beverage-containing element 16 and the inner wall 18, but said water may also be contained in the space inside inner wall 18. If it were not in the inside space, water would tend to seep thereinto from the porous cover 21. The wall 18 may be colored if desired to give color to the liquid 20. After filling, substantial loss of Water or the like is preevnted by sealing with a top or outer cover 31 having a depending flange 32 which fits over the upper rim of the container 16. Said outer cover 31 may be decorated by a coating 33 to simulate foam, as on top of a beer glass, some of which runs over the side as indicated at 34.

When on display, air or other gas, after passing through the member 23, is bubbled upwardly through the liquid 20 between the inner wall 18 and the liquid-containing element 16. The air passes through the cover 21 and is withdrawn at the top as by means of a tube 35. The tube 35 desirably extends from an open end at about the center of the cover 21 at the top thereof in a gas-collecting space, and continues down along the side of the part 16 and the stem 17, through the top 13 of the housing 12, to connect with the inlet to air pump 28. The air in the tube 35, before passing to the pump 28, desirably first passes through a moisture-absorbing device 36. This device 36 may contain renewable absorbent material of suitable character for removing the small amount of condensed moisture drawn along by the air bubbles which flow upward through the liquid, finally unite, and the air is withdrawn from the top of the device.

In order to illuminate the device 11, as for display even at night, I desirably enclose, in the base 12, illuminating means in the form of one or more electric lamps 37 supplied with power as by a flexible cord 38 which may pass through the bottom 39 of said base. Light from the lamps 37 passes through an opening 41 in the top 13 of the base 12 through the bottom element 15 of the container 14 and on to illuminate the container 14 and the device 11 as a whole, including, in the present instance, a translucent hollow background device or disc 42.

In the present embodiment, the container 14 is shown supported on a translucent or transparent plain or colored plate member 43, to which it may be secured as by a suitable adhesive. The member 43 may be made of glass or plastic material, contrasting or of the same color as the container. Said member 43 has a plurality of projections or feet 44 which rest on the top wall 13 of the base 12 and hold said member elevated slightly above said wall so as to allow for air, heated by operation of the illuminating means 37, to pass upwardly around and into the background disc 42. This arrangement allows not only for cooling of the housing 12, but for heating of said background disc 42 to, if necessary, remove snow or ice which has formed thereon, as if used outside.

The background device 42, in the present embodiment, is desirably formed as a pair of glass or plastic discs 46 and 47, curved as parts of hollow spheres and united at their generally circular peripheries to, in this instance, represent a globe. The device 42 is slightly truncated at its bottom, where it is secured to, supported on, and opens downwardly over, the top wall 13, as indicated at 45. It overlies the aperture 41 and thereby receives heated air through its opening 45 from the base 12 into its interior. Small apertures, not apparent in the drawing, may be provided in the top of the device 42 to allow air to flow out and thereby allow for circulation. An additional function of the background device 42 is to house or conceal the return tube 35 through which air flows back to the pump 28. In order to further allow for cooling of the base 12, the same may be provided with louvers or openings 48 in its sides to allow for circulation of cooling air.

In order to prevent heat from the illuminating means 37 from adversely affecting the operation of the pump 28, the interior of the base 12 may be divided by an insulating partition 49. The side of the partition 49 facing the illuminating means 37 may be coated with aluminum paint or covered with aluminum or other highly-retlecting foil 51 to, not only retard the passage of heat through the partition 49, but also reflect light back into the lampholding portion of the base 12 to thereby improve the illuminating etficiency.

From the foregoing disclosure, it will be seen that I have produced a display device activated by the bubbling of air through liquid contained therein, to simulate a glass of beer or other bubbly liquid. I have also provided means for illuminating the device, for cooling the base containing the illuminating means and for imparting color to water or other liquid contained in the device which may otherwise be plain. Although I have shown the liquid container of a certain shape, and the background portion approximately circular, it will be understood that I am not thereby limited, as containers and background devices of other shapes may be substituted.

I claim:

1. A display device simulating a glass of beer comprising a container having liquid therein, said container having an outer cup-shaped member having an upwardly flaring transparent outer wall and a downwardly extending supporting element, an inner cup-shaped member having an upwardly flaring transparent wall in substantially uniformly spaced relation to the inner side of the said outer wall throughout the juxtaposed portions of said walls defining between the walls an upwardly flaring passage, a gas pump mechanism, means sealing said container from the atmosphere including means simulating foam at the top of said container at the upper end of said passage and a sealing cover thereover, said liquid extending to said foam-simulating means, a porous member between said walls connected to the outlet of said pump mechanism and disposed centrally of the container and filling said passage at the bottom thereof, said porous member having a gas emitting surface in communication with the lower end of said passage, whereby gas bubbles emitted through said porous member will be constrained to travel close to both of said walls and rise through the liquid with some bubbles in contact with the inner wall to simulate gas bubbles that occur in actual beer glasses, and means to remove said gas from the top of the container above the foam simulating means and return it through a closed system to said pump.

2. The display device of claim 1 wherein said means simulating said beer foam comprises a layer of white plastic foam and said inner wall is tinted amber whereby said liquid employed in said container can be colorless,

but appears to be amber colored and does not stain said plastic foam upon contact.

3. The display device of claim 1 wherein said means simulating said beer foam comprises a layer of white plastic exposed directly to the liquid in said container and presenting a cellular under surface thereto in which there is an annular groove, the upper edge of said inner wall being disposed in said groove, a gas-collecting space between said under surface and said cover and communicating with said upwardly flaring passage, a return line connected to said space, whereby the liquid can contact with the under surface of said plastic foam to give the appearance of a beer liquid, beer foam interface and said gas can be removed from said container without communication with the atmosphere.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,080,340 Heissenbuttel Dec. 2, 1913 1,745,649 Stanford et a1. Feb. 4, 1930 1,782,944 Stanford et al Nov. 25, 1930 2,099,155 Weber Nov. 16, 1937 2,170,641 Lancelot Aug. 22, 1939 2,731,747 Hazelroth et al Jan. 24, 1956 

1. A DISPLAY DEVICE SIMULATING A GLASS OF BEER COMPRISING A CONTAINER HAVING LIQUID THEREIN, SAID CONTAINER HAVING AN OUTER CUP-SHAPED MEMBER HAVING AN UPWARDLY FLARING TRANSPARENT OUTER WALL AND A DOWNWARDLY EXTENDING SUPPORTING ELEMENT, AN INNER CUP-SHAPED MEMBER HAVING AN UPWARDLY FLARING TRANSPARENT WALL IN SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORMLY SPACED RELATION TO THE INNER SIDE OF THE SAID OUTER WALL THROUGHOUT THE JUXTAPOSED PORTIONS OF SAID WALLS DEFINING BETWEEN THE WALLS AN UPWARDLY FLARING PASSAGE, A GAS PUMP MECHANISM, MEANS SEALING SAID CONTAINER FROM THE ATMOSPHERE INCLUDING MEANS SIMULATING FOAM AT THE TOP OF SAID CONTAINER AT THE UPPER END OF SAID PASSAGE AND A SEALING COVER THEREOVER, SAID LIQUID EXTENDING TO SAID FOAM-SIMULATING MEANS, A POROUS MEMBER BETWEEN SAID WALLS CONNECTED TO THE OUTLET OF SAID PUMP MECHANISM AND DISPOSED CENTRALLY OF THE CONTAINER AND FILLING SAID PASSAGE AT THE BOTTOM THEREOF, SAID POROUS MEMBER HAVING A GAS EMITTING SURFACE IN COMMUNICATION WITH THE LOWER END OF SAID PASSAGE, WHEREBY GAS BUBBLES EMITTED THROUGH SAID POROUS MEMBER WILL BE CONSTRAINED TO TRAVEL CLOSE TO BOTH OF SAID WALLS AND RISE THROUGH THE LIQUID WITH SOME BUBBLES IN CONTACT WITH THE INNER WALL TO SIMULATE GAS BUBBLES THAT OCCUR IN ACTUAL BEER GLASSES, AND MEANS TO REMOVE SAID GAS FROM THE TOP OF THE CONTAINER ABOVE THE FOAM SIMULATING MEANS AND RETURN IT THROUGH A CLOSED SYSTEM TO SAID PUMP. 